Pale Face of the Grinning Moon
by Symphony-in-Black
Summary: Abel and Esther are on their way back to the Vatican, but before they get too far, they must make an unexpected stop. Here, in the small town of Ano Liosia, they discover that everything that happened only a few days before in Aosta isn't as buried as they thought. *Sequel to Tears of the Setting Sun*
1. Prologue

A fist collides with the wall. There is an indent left in the cobalt stone where the punch was thrown. The force of the hit acts as a small earthquake; tremors pass through the wall, cracking it in places, until the power is released completely into a tall, unsuspecting stained glass window. The colorful glass, its different hues arranged in the shape of an angel with its wings and hands stretching forth, shatters. The tiny pieces make tinkling sounds as they land abruptly on the floor.

"Such a simple task." A smooth, cool hiss of a voice splits the air. The fist smashes the wall again. The already splintered glass vibrates on the floor with the second powerful impact.

Smoke billows from between the lips of Isaac Fernand von Kampfer, inventor and sorcerer of the Rosen Kreuz Orden. Having finished his cigarillo, he flicks the stub from between his fingers, smashing it with his foot as he walks forward from his perch at the doorway. He comes to a stop next to Dietrich von Lohengrin, Puppet Master of the Orden, but at this exact moment, Lucky to Be Alive of the Orden.

"Mein Herr," Isaac's even words spill out, reaching the ears of the fuming man before the two of them. "Remember your temper. It would not do for you to need another treatment so soon." He fidgets his hand around in his sleek, black jacket before pulling out another cigarillo and placing it between his lips, but not lighting it.

"If I did not have to deal with this incompetence, then the matter of my health would not be an issue." Cain Nightroad, leader of the Rosen Kreuz Orden, Crusnik, turns, facing his two followers in full. His pale face holds a calm, thin smile, but the anger and disgust at Dietrich's failure is clearly evident in his crimson eyes.

"You were to watch the woman and retrieve her findings, her solution to our problem." Quicker than the eye can follow, Cain is before Dietrich, his hand firmly grasped around the young man's throat. "Are you that simple minded that you cannot thoroughly carry out the mediocre task of picking up a book?" A cruel smile replaces his previous one as his grip tightens and Dietrich is raised from the ground, his feet dangling feebly as he gasps for breath.

Isaac sighs and places a firm hand on Cain's arm, persuading him with his touch to lower Dietrich back to the ground.

"We have done research of our own, and have gotten far, Mein Herr."

Cain snorts, releasing Dietrich and making his way back towards the damaged wall and broken window. He slowly traces his hand across the jagged shards of glass that somehow remained attached to the frame. His finger pricks one of the sharp edges, a small bubble of blood pooling on the tip before running down his skin and dripping off of his knuckle onto the glass littered floor.

"You will do better this time." Cain's voice is even, his face holds no emotion; it makes his words all the more sinister. "Won't you Puppet Master?"

"Yes, Mein Herr." Dietrich crosses his right arm over his chest and gives a small bow, his eyes staying transfixed on Cain's back.

"Isaac, accompany him. In case you run into…difficulties." Cain turns his head slightly. His eyes are shielded by his white-blonde bangs, his lips set in a thin smile once more. Isaac bows as well. He and Dietrich rise simultaneously and exit the room.

"You could have waited to give him the treatment, Wizard," Dietrich says now that they are a safe distance down the hall.

"You know he gets a bit irritable afterwards, Puppet Master. I suggest you don't bring him such bad news." A small smile plays on Isaac's lips as he finally lights the cigarillo that has been hanging in his mouth for the past few minutes.

Dietrich gives a small huff. "With my ability and the strides in this lost science we have made, I don't see why he is so upset that this book has gotten away. I can bring plenty of people back from the dead, and with the added bonus of no free will. What could be better than unquestioning pawns?"

Isaac chuckles lightly. "You miss the point of why the woman's research is so much more valuable."

"Apparantly." Dietrich grumbles. "Why don't you enlighten me?"

Isaac takes a deep breath, sucking through the cigarillo; then letting it out in a thick cloud of smoke. "It is not so much the raising of the dead that interests him so, but the fact that the body of this dead man was able to be perfectly resurrected, and with the soul still in excellent condition. With this form of renewing the body, Cain would not have the need of anymore treatments. One session and the work would be complete. He would have the body that was lost to him all those years ago." He takes another long drag of his cigarillo.

The corners of Dietrich's mouth shoot up in a mock smile. "But, Wizard, wouldn't that weaken your influence over him? No more caretaker persuasion?"

Isaac takes the cigarillo from his mouth, holding it between his index and middle finger. "You have it wrong, Puppet Master. I only wish for his well-being. You read far too into things for your own good." A small, unreadable smile lights Isaac's face as he puts the cigarillo back in his mouth, tucks his hands in his pockets, and continues to stride down the hall.


	2. Chapter 1

It is the grumbling that can be heard around the world, or at least around the train station. Abel Nightroad sinks onto a metal bench, his limbs and head drooping.

"It feels like déjà vu, eh Miss Esther?" He mumbles out weakly. "Oh, what I wouldn't do to have some food." A resounding smack echoes around the platform. The gangly priest hunches forward, a lump sprouting from the back of his head.

"They gave us a solid meal before we left Saint Anthony's, and you're _still_ hungry?" Esther Blanchett shakes her hand from the force she used to hit the complaining priest. It was déjà vu, alright. She turns her head to see if there are any approaching figures, but the people on the platform flit pass them without a single glance. Sighing, Esther faces forward again, a sad feeling falling over her as she tries to shake away the image in her head of the person she had hoped, and feared, to see.

"Hm…I wonder what caused the bridges to collapse." Esther looks over to the now contemplating priest who seems to have recovered from his recent head injury quite quickly. She shrugs at his question.

"Where are we anyway, Father?"

Abel pushes his sliding glasses up the bridge of his nose with his middle finger. "We're in Ano Liosia. I've been here once a while back, but only for about a day before I had to leave again, so I don't quite know my way around." He laughs nervously as Esther gives him a tired glare.

"You may have been here for a short time, but I'm sure you know where to find the church. We should head there before it gets too late." Esther stares up through the glass of the covered platform. The sky burns a red orange, the color of twilight.

"There is no church here anymore."

It takes a moment for his words to sink in, but once they do, Esther stands over the priest, sputtering in shock.

"W-what?! Then where are we supposed to stay?"

"I'm afraid we're on our own in that regard. Shall we go?" Abel stands and heads for the exit of the station, leaving Esther staring blankly at his retreating form.

"How can you be so calm about this?!" she shouts, jogging to catch up with him.

* * *

"No!"

"I ain't takin' ya in."

"Shove off!"

For the third time that evening a door is slammed in the faces of Abel and Esther. The two wearily walk to the curb of the street and sink to the ground.

"This is impossible!" Esther throws her arms up and then brings them down to rest on her knees. "We're a nun and a priest for goodness sake!"

"I know what you mean, Miss Esther." Abel says, his right hand playing with a piece of his silver-white hair. "They could have at least spared us a cardboard box to take shelter in. We probably would have had to huddle together to stay warm. Probably completely nake-" The priest is silenced by a fist forcefully knocked against his jaw; the last, strangled syllable of his sentence withering to the ground with his head.

"Do you have any other ideas?" Esther asks, fuming, hand still clenched into a fist.

"Well, I was hoping to stay someplace where we could enjoy a free meal along with a nice bed," Abel says, standing, "but the luck of finding good hospitality doesn't seem to be on our side. I do know of a small apartment that charges nothing and has no pesky neighbors."

"What are we waiting for then? Which way?"

"This way…I think." Abel sets off with a silly smile on his face. Esther follows behind, wondering how the goofy priest manages to remember where he's going, let alone how to breathe.

* * *

"Here we are!" Abel grins triumphantly.

Esther looks up at the decrepit building, a frown on her face. The building looks as if it would fall down if the slightest breeze blew. The bricks are chipped in places, completely missing in others, allowing who knows what sorts of creatures inside. Many of the windows are broken, or so dirty that they'd have to be broken in order to properly see outside. The main door is hanging from its hinges and the fire escape looks, ironically, as if it was burnt to a crisp long ago.

"Father, I'm not so sure. Perhaps we should try another building? One more stable?"

"Nonsense! As long as the stairs hold, there's nothing to worry about." Abel confidently starts towards their rickety shelter. Before he can get far, though, a piercing scream splits the night air. A body turns the corner of the building, colliding with the bespectacled priest. There is a small 'oof!' followed by a groan as Abel falls to the ground, breaking his fall, and the fall of whoever ran into him, with his head.

"Oh dear," Abel says as he shifts himself onto his elbows. Esther hurries over and kneels down, helping the figure, a girl probably no more than twelve or thirteen with brown hair and matching eyes, to sit up.

"Are you alright?"

"Help me!" Her eyes are wild as she whips her head to and fro, jumping at the shadows. She grips Abel's jacket tightly, using him as an anchor of hope in the night.

"Um…we would be glad to assist," Abel laughs nervously. "That is, if we knew what we were helping you with."

"Father!" Esther calls out, pointing ahead of them. The smile on Abel's face disappears once he looks up. Armor clad, with fangs as long as small daggers protruding from their lips, several creatures walk forward from the dark, their goggled eyes glowing a faint red, the breath coming from their masked faces raspy.

"Auto Dolls."


	3. Chapter 2

"Damn!" Abel ducks and narrowly avoids the large battle ax that is swung towards his head as he reloads his trusty percussion revolver. Upon hearing the resounding metal click that means the spare cartridge is in place, he thrusts his arm forward into the face of his assailant and pulls the trigger. The head of the large undead man is blown into nothing more than small pieces of rotting flesh. Quickly readjusting his glasses, Abel searches for his next target. "Miss Esther, behind you!"

Esther, who had been occupied with hiding the girl behind a set of rusty trash cans, spins around quickly, her mouth set in a surprised 'O'. Shrieking, she dives on the ground between the monsters legs, the hefty metal hammer that was swung towards her head leaving a hole in the brick wall she was standing beside. As Esther lands, she pulls her gun out of the holster at her hip, twists her upper body, and shoots. The bullet flies through the spine of the giant creature's neck, blowing the head a few feet away from the collapsing body. Esther glances left and right as she stands; more of the undead creatures emerge from every direction.

"Father, there's too many!" A stray bullet from one of them that has a gun ricochets off of the ground by Esther's foot.

"Esther, take the girl and go, I will handle this." Esther chews her bottom lip, knowing what he plans to do, and stands immobile. "Please hurry, Miss Esther!"

"R-right!" Grabbing the arm of the cowering girl from behind the trash cans, Esther shoots another of the undead to make a pathway. The two run on quick feet down a side street and duck behind the corner of another decrepit building. Esther keeps her gun in hand, ready in case any of the creatures had followed.

"I-is it alright to leave him alone?" Esther jumps at the unexpected sound of the girl's voice. She sits shaking by Esther's side, clutching the bottom of Esther's white skirt.

"Yes, he'll be fine." Esther peers carefully around the corner. She knew he would be alright, but she hated to leave him alone with so many enemies; hated how she could not help him; hated how she had to rely on him so much. Sighing, Esther focuses her attention back to the daunting darkness of the small cobblestone street. As there is no immediate danger, and the unsettling silence is slowly making her nervous, she shifts her gaze to the still shaking girl sitting next to her, hoping to quiet her loudly thumping heart.

"So, what's your name, if I may ask?"

"What? Oh, yes, my name…" There is a short moment in which her eyes go blank and her skin seems to pale; her head sinks forward a few inches, like she has just fallen asleep; a low, whistling sound, like a deflating balloon, comes from her lips. "Ava." Her head snaps back to attention, a twinkle returning to her eye and a flush returning to her cheek. "My name…is Ava."

"Okay. Ava." Esther takes the girls hand, which is surprisingly cool to the touch, and gives it a small shake. "I'm-"

"Esther."

"Huh? Oh, yes. How…?"

"He said it several times before we ran off."

"Oh, right. He did, didn't he? I'm sorry." Esther's cheeks turn a light shade of pink at her forgetfulness.

"'He?' Aren't you going to introduce me properly, Miss Esther?" At the sound of a voice in her ear, Esther jumps and gives a small squeal.

"Father!" Esther shoots a small glare at the gangly priest and fans her intensely burning cheeks. "Have you finished already?" He gives a solemn nod. Esther's face softens. "And…are you alright?"

"Fit as a fiddle," Abel says, putting on a smile and flexing his arms, and then more seriously adds, "though still very hungry."

Shaking her head with a small smile, Esther offers her hand to the girl by her side and helps her into a standing position. "You're safe now. Where is your home? We can escort you there if you would like, right Father?"

"Absolutely!" Abel chimes in with a silly grin, eagerly hoping that when they get to the girl's home that they can also partake of the girl's food.

"My home?" Ava cocks her head to the side; she lifts her hand and rubs her temples, a pained look coming to her face. "I…I can't remember."

"Hm…I see" Abel puts his pointer finger to his chin and taps it against his jaw; the light from the twin moons reflect off of his glasses, making his eyes two white orbs and giving him a very owl-like look. "Well, it seems you'll have to stay with us then. It will be easier to figure everything out once we get a good nights rest. Plus, I'd much rather wander around in bright daylight than an inky night." He smiles gently before turning around and leading the way back to the rickety building the three had been in front of mere moments before.

* * *

"Perhaps it was push first and then jiggle? No, no it has to be kick, jiggle, and then push. I'm almost positive that's how it was done."

"Couldn't we have just stayed on the first floor?" Esther asks the mumbling priest who continues to be at war with the stuck door.

"Don't be ridiculous, Miss Esther. Besides if any more of those zombies show up, they'll probably break the stairs with their weight. It's best we stay up here where they can't get us." Abel falls silent, his tongue sticking out of his mouth at a peculiar angle as he continues to wrestle with the door.

'But if they break the stairs…how do we get down?' Esther determines its best not to ask and looks around the hall. Three other rooms occupy the third floor; one doesn't have a door, and the rest do not have knobs or locks. "How about we stay in a different room on this floor then?"

"But this one's special, Miss Esther! Think of it as the luxury suite. It's just a matter of…getting…the door…open!" After a few struggle-filled moments, the door swings forward causing Abel to fall into the room, landing on his face, his arms splaying out in front of him. "See?" Abel says, his voice rising from the floorboards.

The room is small and well worn, much like the rest of the building. The two windows on either side of the room are broken in, the glass strewn across the living room and tiny kitchen. There is a short table by a very raggedy couch; dried blood droplets coat parts of the two pieces of furniture and the floor.

"It looks…cozy?" Esther suggests with an unsure smile.

"There's a bed in that room over there and is much comfier than it looks." Abel sidles up to Esther as he speaks and waggles an eyebrow. "Considering there are only two places to sleep it seems I'll have to-"

"Sleep on the floor." Esther says in a firm voice. She looks pointedly at the priest, daring him to finish his suggestion.

"Yes, sleep on the floor. Exactly. Of course." Abel edges away, his voice dwindling to a frightened whisper and his head turning away from Esther to avoid the glare of death she gives him.

"Is he always that perverse?" Ava whispers to Esther as Abel makes his way to the kitchen; fiddling with some dusty glasses that sit in the cupboards.

Esther gives a weak smile. "You have no idea." The sound of glass breaking sounds from the kitchen followed by a mixture of low curses and apologies. Esther wonders what he could possibly be doing in there – she wouldn't trust the water from the pipes, let alone the glasses, to get a drink. Esther shakes her head and sighs. "Let's get to bed before you break anything else, Father."

"A capital idea!" Abel calls back from the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 3

A light thunking sound arouses Esther from her slumber. Still in a half state of sleep she sits up from her position on the couch. Rubbing her eyes, she looks to her right; Abel is still breathing deeply by her side, so who could be making the noise? The noise comes again from the kitchen; she shifts her feet onto the floor and trudges to the room. She sees Ava haphazardly riffling through the cabinets, knocking bowls and plates out of the way. The light that illuminates the room through the broken window silhouettes her body so that she is a black, featureless figure.

"Ava?" The girl's form spins adbrubtly. "Ava is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry if I woke you. I was just thirsty and looking for a glass."

"Oh, okay." Esther's eyes scan the counter. A small, clean cup glistens by the sink. "What's wrong with that one?"

"I guess I didn't see it. I assumed all the ones in plain sight Abel had already broken."

"True. He is-" Esther pauses. "Ava?"

"Yes, Esther?"

"You were never told the Father's name…so how do you know it?"

A small chuckle comes for the girl. "Normally I'm so careful. I can't believe I let that slip. Very observant, my cute little Esther."

Esther shivers. Where had she heard that before?

She doesn't get the chance to think of it as Ava turns sharply and lunges foward, a shard of glass previously broken by Abel gripped in her hand. Before she can react, Esther is pulled to the side, a shot ringing out moments later. She recovers her balance and looks back to where she stood. Abel stands there now, revolver pointed in front of him, smoke streaming from the tip. She looks before him to Ava who crouches low to the ground, holding her wrist where the bullet had passed through it.

"Now, now." Ava chuckles as she stands and glares at Abel, a gleeful smile on her face. "There's no need to be so hostile." She brings her wrist to her mouth and licks at the blood that flows from her wound. "Unless, of course, that's how you want it. It is of no consequence to me. I will have what I came for before the night is through."

"I can assume you are after the book?" Abel asks.

"It seems I just can't outsmart you, can I Abel? I thought you might have hidden it in the cupboard, but it seems that was just a ruse. "

Abel's eyes narrow at the girl. "I'm afraid I've hidden it away elsewhere, and my lips are sealed."

"Hm…how sad. I guess that means I can't kill you yet. But I've always loved a good chase, so I can't be too disappointed." Ava lunges again, dodging two of Abel's bullets. She reaches for his throat, but before she can grab it she is thrown against the wall by a well-aimed swing from a couch cushion held by Esther. Abel quickly runs over to the girl while she is stunned and knocks her unconscious with the butt of his gun.

"Really, Miss Esther? A pillow fight? I don't think now is the best time," Abel quips.

"Oh, be quiet," Esther rolls her eyes and replaces the cushion. "What do we do now?"

"We run, of course!" replies Abel, already halfway out the door.

"What will that accomplish? She'll just come after us!" Esther yells as she follows him out of the apartment and down the staircase of the building.

"Exercise is good for the mind – it will give us time to think!" They both shoot out of the main doors of the apartment complex and start off into the night at a fast clip.

"That's just silly!" Esther, who is already slightly winded from trying to keep up with Abel's long strides, huffs. "We should go back and tie her up, or-" Esther is cut short as she runs into Abel's back.

"A little warning would be nice, Father," she says, rubbing her nose. When Abel does not reply, she looks to him questioningly. "Father?"

"Oh dear..." Abel says, staring into the distance.

Esther looks in the same direction as Abel and is immediately frozen with shock. A figure walks towards them from the darkness clad in a burgundy dress and an olive cloak. Chills run down Esther's spine as she stammers out the name.

"R-Ren…?"


	5. Chapter 4

"I-it's not possible…How are you…?" Esther's voice dies out as she stares at the woman standing in front of her.

The woman smiles mockingly. "It is possible. And I am because I am. Think about it a bit and I'm sure you'll figure it out, my cute little Esther." Esther's eyes widen slightly.

"Dietrich!" A flush comes to her cheeks; she feels silly. She should have known from the auto dolls that it was him.

"Very good."

The sudden crack of a shotgun makes Esther jump. She watches as Ren moves quickly to the right, whipping her head to the side. As the woman faces Esther again, a small line of red forms on her forehead by her temple.

"Nice try, priest, but you were a little off the mark," Ren says, shrugging with a small smirk on her face.

"Father, how could you shoot at her?" Esther says frantically. She turns to Abel, her heart clenching when she sees the look of annoyance on his face.

"She is already dead Esther."

"But…," Esther mutters. A few moments of inner conflict pass before she steels herself and looks determinedly back at Ren. "You're right. We'll put her back to rest. Give up, Dietrich!" Esther demands as she upholsters her own gun and points it at the reanimated woman.

Ren chuckles.

"Like I would ever make it that easy."

A bright light appears to Esther's left followed by Abel's screams. She turns just in time to see him begin to fall, out cold. She catches the priest and sinks to the ground with him. Her hair stands on end with the charge of electricity in the air.

"Father!" she shouts, shaking him slightly. There is not much time for her to be worried before she feels pressure at the junction of her neck and shoulder. There is enough time to register that it is Ren's hand before she blacks out, collapsing next to Abel.

"Must you always toy with your prey, Puppetmaster?" A tall, lean man with long dark hair emerges from a shadowy vortex a few feet from the unconscious nun and priest.

"What fun would there be if I didn't, Wizard?" says Dietrich, as Ren, wearing a wicked smile, crouching down and brushing Esther's hair out from her eyes.

The man shrugs and takes a long draw on a cigarillo.

"None at all I suppose," he replies, the smoke escaping from his lips as he grins.

* * *

The sun had set hours ago, but the light from the twin moons in the sky filters through the windows of Cardinal Caterina Sforza's office, basking the room in an eerie glow. The doors of the office swing open as a beautiful woman with golden ringlets flowing down her back strides into the room. Sighing, the Duchess of Milan takes a seat at her desk, closing her eyes and rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"A rough day, Your Eminence?"

Without opening her eyes or turning to the voice, Caterina answers with a strong voice that belies how tired she is. "William. Shouldn't you be grading papers?"

William Walter Wordsworth, AX agent Professor, and local university professor, stands from his seated position in a small couch to the right of the Cardinal's desk. "I was taking a short break. All those red marks were making my eyes sting." He readjusts the pipe that sits in his mouth as he walks to stand beside Caterina. "I thought I would come for a visit, but upon finding you were away, I decided to make myself comfortable and await your return. I took the liberty of reading your post."

He smiles as he makes a grand flourish towards the pile of envelopes on the Cardinal's desk, all of which have been neatly sliced open at the top. If one didn't have a careful eye, it would look as if the envelopes were still perfectly intact.

"As grateful as I'm sure I should be to you for riffling through my mail, how many times have I told you already not to do so?" For the first time during their brief conversation Caterina opens her eyes and casts her steely gaze upon the smiling man, who makes his way back to the couch in which he previously occupied.

"A good many, I'm sure," he says as he takes a seat in the plush cushions, continuing to grin as if he is receiving praise, rather than the cool look of ice.

Sighing once more, Caterina takes a seat at the desk and slides the mail to the side.

"Kate." In moments an image of a woman flickers into sight out of thin air. The moonlight coming from the windows makes her form incomplete; parts of her midriff, legs, and head blending together with the bright gleam of the twin orbs in the sky.

"Yes, Your Eminence?" The holographic nun blinks, her image flickering as if this small gesture might make her disappear from the room.

"Abel's train is scheduled to arrive in Rome tomorrow evening. Is it making good time?"

"I shall check." The nun closes her eyes. Mere seconds tick by before her eyes open again and she reports. "It appears that the bridges leading out of Ano Liosia to Rome have been damaged and travel is no longer possible. As there is no other route by train out of the city that leads directly to Rome the voyage has been delayed until they can be repaired." Kate looks to Caterina, who sits her elbows on the desk, laces her fingers together, and rests her chin upon her entwined hands, a thoughtful frown on her face. "Is there a problem, Your Eminence?"

Caterina's eyes narrow and she taps her finger on her desk. "Is Gunslinger available for duty?"

Kate shakes her head, causing her image to blink. "I'm sorry, Your Eminence, but Father Tres will not be fully repaired for at least two more days time."

"And the other agents?" Caterina asks, glancing at the Professor.

"Aside from myself…," William pauses, puffing on his pipe. "Everyone is already assigned or otherwise unavailable for immediate duty."

"I see…. Kate, when Gunslinger is ready send him to Ano Liosia as quickly as possible. William you will accompany him."

"Your Eminence?" Kate looks on with concern at her master's worried face.

Sighing, Caterina removes her glasses, and places them on her desk.

"I believe Father Nightroad will have a difficult stay in Ano Liosia. May God help him."


End file.
